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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — a price
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — in control
  11. stock — goods
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. land — to come down
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. charge — electricity
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. clip — to cut
  24. track — a song

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