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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. net — in sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stock — shares
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis

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