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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — after costs
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — goods
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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