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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. net — in sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — of your body
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chest — a box
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. pop — soda
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — goods
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. stock — shares

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