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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. land — to come down
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — the time now
  4. hand — help
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. can — a tin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — a gift
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rash — a series
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — there
  23. stock — shares
  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