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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. firm — a company
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — magic
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. file — a tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. firm — decided
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stock — shares
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a document

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