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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — what's left
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rest — a break
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — a position
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — in sport

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