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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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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — after costs
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. stock — goods
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fine — all right
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — farmland
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. field — for sport
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — music

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