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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — of a king
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — of law
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bark — to shout
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — for sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — to breed
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — to push
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a match

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