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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. rash — hasty
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — a series
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — a partner
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stock — shares

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