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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — soda
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rule — government
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — magic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rule — a law
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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