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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. net — after costs
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stock — goods
  9. rash — hasty
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — a series
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — bread
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bank — of a river

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