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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spell — magic
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. scale — in music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — music
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spell — a short time

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