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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. suit — to fit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. scale — size or range
  7. suit — in cards
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — in music
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — a container
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. sharp — clever

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