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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — to come down
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — a lid
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pit — a hole
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — in geometry

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