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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 124 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — shares
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — for catching
  5. spell — magic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — goods
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — letters
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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