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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stock — goods
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stock — shares
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — in sport
  24. kick — 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