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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — a trace
  8. land — ground
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. mark — a grade
  15. staff — employees
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — to come from

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