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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spell — magic
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hand — help
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stock — goods
  23. tube — a container
  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