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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — for digging
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. last — final
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stock — shares
  14. last — to go on
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. row — a line
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bear — the animal

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