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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: fine · land · fall · lash · court · safe · stock · mine

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of law
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fall — the season
  10. land — to come down
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stock — shares
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of a king
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — to drop
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — ground
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — goods

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