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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — goods
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a match
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — shares
  20. bore — to drill
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — hurry
  24. tear — from crying

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