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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. land — a country
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rush — hurry
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — ground
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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