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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ground — a position
  3. rest — what's left
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stock — goods
  8. present — the time now
  9. swing — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. present — there
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — in golf
  18. spell — a short time
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rest — a break
  23. pit — in a race
  24. racket — for tennis

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