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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spell — magic
  10. tube — a container
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — size or range
  14. shower — rain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — high quality
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fine — all right
  24. tube — in a tire

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