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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — goods
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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