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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stock — shares
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. leaves — to go away

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