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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — to confront
  6. track — a song
  7. pitch — completely
  8. track — a path
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — goods
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — to paddle
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cap — a lid
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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