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

Word bank: stock · suit · deal · arm · mine · saw · ground · rule

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — a position
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. ground — the earth
  12. suit — clothes
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stock — shares
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — government
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stock — goods
  24. deal — to handle

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