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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.

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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — ground
  7. club — a group
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a match
  10. ground — a position
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — shares
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — a country
  17. can — to be able to
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. game — wild animals

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