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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chip — to eat
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — a short time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spell — magic
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. date — on the calendar

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