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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — shares
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ground — crushed
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — a position
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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