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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — goods
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. band — a ring
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — a weight
  21. season — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — of the year
  24. foot — a measure

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