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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stock — shares
  5. shower — rain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. capital — a city
  14. net — for catching
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — a friend
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mate — to breed
  23. capital — a big letter
  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