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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — help
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. charge — in control
  10. kid — child
  11. suit — clothes
  12. charge — electricity
  13. key — in music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stock — goods
  20. key — for a lock
  21. charge — a price
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spell — letters

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