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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. field — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lean — thin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — a subject
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. rock — a stone
  17. field — farmland
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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