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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stock — shares
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — magic
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — goods
  12. bass — low music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spell — letters
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lie — an untruth

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