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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. land — a country
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — low music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stock — goods
  9. deal — to handle
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the fish
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stock — shares
  18. craft — a skill

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