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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — ground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. land — to come down
  7. ball — a great time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — certain
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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