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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — goods
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — for catching
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bound — certain
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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