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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. current — electric
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — a break
  21. bass — low music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — of water
  24. stock — a soup base

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