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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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. branch — a division
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. season — of the year
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. capital — a city
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. bore — to tire
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — to drill
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. capital — money

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