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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — letters
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rule — government
  12. spring — of water
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stock — goods
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — shares
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spell — magic

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