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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. net — in sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. net — for catching
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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