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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — a price
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to click
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. land — to come down
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. charge — in control
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. charge — electricity
  24. calf — a young animal

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