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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: mark · cell · cue · spell · bowl · sharp · stock · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cue — a hint
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — shares
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — in biology
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a signal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. spell — magic

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