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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — a break
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — a series
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spell — a short time
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. ball — a great 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