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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · field · safe · roll · sharp · drill · stock · face

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — to point toward
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — shares
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — farmland
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — clever
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. roll — on a roll

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