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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — in a road
  8. land — to come down
  9. sharp — clever
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — shares
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — a subject
  21. land — a country
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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