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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — to come down
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. march — music
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — a country
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stock — goods
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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