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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — a permit
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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