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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — ground
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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