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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — in sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — to come down
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — of the year
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — letters

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