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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chest — of your body
  6. drill — army training
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — a practice
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — after costs
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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