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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ground — a position
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spell — letters
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — a short time
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — crushed

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