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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — a country
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. drill — army training
  23. wake — a trail
  24. face — to confront

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