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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stand — to bear
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — ground
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. shower — to wash
  16. land — to come down
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — shares
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stock — goods
  22. bound — tied together
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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