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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. last — finally
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — to go on
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — letters
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — magic

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