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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. march — music
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — shares
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — for catching
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. stock — goods
  20. spell — magic
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — hasty

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