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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: ground · face · stock · season · safe · spell · race · land

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to confront
  6. stock — goods
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — a country
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. ground — a position
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — part of the head
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. race — humankind
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — the arms race
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — ground

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