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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. firm — a company
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bound — tied together
  11. firm — steady
  12. rash — a series
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — shares
  19. firm — decided
  20. bound — obliged
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — ground

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