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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — shares
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pass — a permit
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a match
  24. pass — to spend time

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