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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. land — ground
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — finally
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. last — to go on
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — a country
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. row — to paddle
  20. last — final
  21. drill — army training
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. drill — the tool

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