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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — after costs
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rest — a break
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — shares

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