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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the fish
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — letters
  15. fine — all right
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — high quality
  18. row — a line
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — goods

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