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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stock — shares
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — after costs
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — for a lock
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. wound — an injury

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