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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — shares
  7. land — a country
  8. game — a match
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — decided
  11. game — wild animals
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. firm — a company
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. firm — steady
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. land — ground
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. branch — a division

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