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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — goods
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. land — a country
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — ground
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mark — a grade
  24. suit — in cards

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