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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — shares
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fine — high quality
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — goods

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