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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. roll — a list
  12. bank — for money
  13. chest — a box
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — letters
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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