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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — shares
  4. mark — a grade
  5. club — for golf
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spell — letters
  10. kick — in football
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mark — a trace
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — a tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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