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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bound — certain
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — help
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — shares
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — obliged
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stock — goods
  24. temple — side of the head

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