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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 was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stock — goods
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — of ice
  20. march — music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. net — for catching

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