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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. land — to come down
  11. stock — goods
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. date — the fruit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — size or range
  22. land — ground
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — in music

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