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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — a country
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rest — a break
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. safe — a strongbox

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