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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stock — goods
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chest — a box
  11. stock — shares
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. land — a country
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. land — ground
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — to come down

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