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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — the fish
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spell — letters
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stock — shares
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. face — to confront
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bass — low music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stock — goods

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