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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — to come from
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. firm — decided
  8. fine — all right
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a friend
  11. firm — a company
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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