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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — a match
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a city
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ground — the earth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — in sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — money
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. net — after costs

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