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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bound — obliged
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stock — goods
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — shares
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — a country
  24. coach — a trainer

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