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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — to go on
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — in sport
  7. firm — steady
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — a list
  10. bat — the animal
  11. firm — a company
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — for catching
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — final
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — in sport

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