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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. field — for sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. field — farmland
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — a line
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — finally
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — a tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. net — in sport

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