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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: fall · stock · bay · straw · suit · last · spell · bat

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — letters
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. suit — in cards
  7. last — final
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — clothes
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — to go on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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