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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. net — for catching
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pop — soda

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