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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 120 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: field · snap · staff · wake · safe · net · stock · march

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to click
  5. march — the month
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. march — the month
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — a subject
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — farmland
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — a trail
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — music

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