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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — to recline
  3. march — the month
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — shares
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — to put up with

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