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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — to visit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — letters
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stock — shares
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — the month
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spell — magic
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — music
  24. stock — goods

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