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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: rush · staff · stock · net · season · face · game · spell

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — in sport
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — letters
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — of the year
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — a match
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — part of the head
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — wild animals

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