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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. toast — bread
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — a short time
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. land — a country
  24. mouse — the animal

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