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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a dance
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — high quality
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stock — goods
  10. swing — music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — to come down
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. swing — to play on
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — a sauce

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