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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a great time
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — goods
  14. land — ground
  15. kick — in football
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — a division
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. branch — of a bank

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