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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — a container
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — for golf
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — in a race
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. club — for dancing
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. land — a country
  19. tube — the underground
  20. club — a group
  21. land — to come down
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. plane — a tool

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