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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · fine · cold · dip · land · bowl · nail · stock

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. land — a country
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — shares
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rule — government
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — high quality
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — a law
  24. fine — all right

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