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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 116 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stock — goods
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chair — a leader
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. shower — rain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — in a tire

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