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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spell — letters
  3. bass — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. lie — to recline
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lean — thin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — a short time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lean — to bend
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com