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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · date · bowl · stock · capital · leaves · track · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. track — a song
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. date — the fruit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. capital — a city
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stock — shares
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. track — a path
  20. capital — money
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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