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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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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: saw · safe · race · fork · lie · calf · mate · stock

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. race — a contest
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — shares
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stock — goods
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. calf — of the leg

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