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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · fork · fan · stock · sharp · drill · net · roll

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. drill — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. net — after costs
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — army training
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fork — in a road
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — exactly

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