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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — final
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. net — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ball — a dance
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stock — shares
  15. clip — a video
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a great time
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. last — finally
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — for paper

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