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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — shares
  3. spell — a short time
  4. land — ground
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — to handle
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — letters
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. land — to come down
  23. stock — goods
  24. cabinet — ministers

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