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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 — shares
  2. bank — of a river
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bank — for money
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pop — to visit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pop — soda
  19. bank — for money
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. net — after costs
  22. cell — in a prison
  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