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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rock — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — a stone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rock — to move gently

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