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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — magic
  4. swing — music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stock — shares
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — a group
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stock — goods
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — crushed

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