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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. land — a country
  6. net — for catching
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stock — goods
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stock — shares
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. land — ground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — to come down
  23. net — after costs
  24. hide — to keep secret

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