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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mark — a trace
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a grade
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stock — goods
  13. file — a tool
  14. land — ground
  15. stock — shares
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. land — to come down
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cue — a hint

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