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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rule — a law
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. plane — a tool
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — shares
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — to come down
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. land — ground
  24. pound — a weight

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