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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — magic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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