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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 124 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — to visit
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — a position
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — a practice
  17. land — ground
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. track — a path
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. board — a committee

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