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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. stock — shares
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. race — a contest
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. land — ground
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. object — a thing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — an aim
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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