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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. roll — a list
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — shares
  24. roll — on a roll

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