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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. current — happening now
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lean — thin
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. current — electric
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — shares
  20. field — a subject
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — farmland
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lean — to bend

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