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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spell — magic
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — help
  20. spell — letters
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a partner

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