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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — a break
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — from a university
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. safe — a strongbox

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