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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. shower — rain
  4. firm — decided
  5. spell — magic
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stock — shares
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spell — letters
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. spell — a short time
  21. firm — a company
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. bulb — for light

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