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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bank — for money
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. clip — a video
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — after costs
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — to cut
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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