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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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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: last · stock · cap · land · wind · mouse · ball · staff

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — a stick
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stock — shares
  24. wind — moving air

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