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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — after costs

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