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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: season · snap · track · mug · spell · land · lie · stock

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — letters
  6. track — a song
  7. mug — a cup
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — ground
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — a country
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. track — a path
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — to rob

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