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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. object — a thing
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stock — shares
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. bass — the fish
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. object — to protest
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. game — a match
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — wild animals

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