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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. shower — rain
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — ground
  13. rest — a break
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — to wash
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — a country
  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