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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stock — goods
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. land — to come down
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. land — a country
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stock — shares
  24. row — to paddle

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