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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: pit · ball · lash · spell · mine · stock · face · date

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — goods
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. date — the fruit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spell — magic
  14. face — to confront
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — a hole

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