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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stock — shares
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — for catching
  10. stock — goods
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. shower — to wash
  13. club — for golf
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — after costs
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. club — a group
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tube — the underground

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