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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cue — a hint
  3. face — to confront
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rock — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — a country
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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