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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: present · spell · stock · land · mine · mate · season · mark

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. land — ground
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — in sport
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. land — to come down
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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