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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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — to come down
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ball — a dance
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a great time
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — goods
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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