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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. shower — rain
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. last — final
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — ground
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — in music
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — finally
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. bulb — for light

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