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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — all right
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — of water
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. land — to come down
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. land — ground
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — high quality

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