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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stock — shares
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — goods
  16. bat — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. face — to confront
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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