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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — for catching
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — in sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pit — in a race
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — shares
  24. rest — a break

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