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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stock — shares
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a ring
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stock — goods
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. band — a music group

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