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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — shares
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. last — finally
  13. key — the most important part
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. last — final
  19. key — in music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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