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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. game — wild animals
  7. land — ground
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — a match
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wound — an injury
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — a permit
  22. stock — goods
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — to come down

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