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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — a country
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bound — tied together
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — shares
  23. deal — to handle
  24. key — for a lock

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