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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: stock · safe · swing · fork · patient · degree · object · race

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fork — in a road
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. swing — in golf
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — an amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stock — shares
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — humankind
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. object — to protest
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. object — a thing

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