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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. season — of the year
  5. stock — shares
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — goods
  8. season — in sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chest — a box
  19. spell — magic
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — a thrill

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