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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: board · shower · chest · fan · pit · stock · safe · field

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — to wash
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stock — shares
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — a committee
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — for sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. field — farmland
  15. chest — a box
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — a hole
  23. board — to get on
  24. safe — out of danger

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