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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. last — to go on
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. capital — money
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — goods
  23. capital — a city
  24. land — ground

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