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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: face · rock · roll · track · land · pitcher · safe · stock

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stock — shares
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stock — goods
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. land — to come down
  12. roll — a list
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rock — music
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — to keep track

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