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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rule — a law
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — for sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — of a king
  21. ground — the earth
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — a soup base

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