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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — shares
  6. bear — the animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — to tease

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