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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — to wash
  9. tube — a container
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — the underground
  13. last — finally
  14. land — to come down
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — final
  17. present — there
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. shower — rain
  20. land — a country
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — to go on
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stock — goods

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