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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. firm — decided
  6. club — for golf
  7. spell — magic
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. firm — steady
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — letters
  13. firm — a company
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a city
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stock — shares
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spell — a short 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