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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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Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a match
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — help

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