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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — goods
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. foot — a measure
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. field — for sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — shares
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — soda
  20. field — a subject
  21. spell — letters
  22. pop — music
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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