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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a great time
  14. net — in sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. court — of law
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — for catching
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rush — a thrill

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