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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. dip — to sink
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. land — to come down
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. land — a country
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. safe — out of danger

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