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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — a line
  13. cold — not warm
  14. season — of the year
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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