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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · pit · spell · band · ball · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — goods
  9. band — a ring
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. staff — employees

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