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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. charge — in control
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — a price
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — goods
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. land — ground
  20. drill — a practice
  21. season — of the year
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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