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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stock — shares
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — a position
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — letters
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — magic
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. can — a tin

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