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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: bay · rush · march · spell · stock · sharp · straw · press

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. sharp — clever
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stock — shares
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  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