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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. spring — of water
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — goods
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hand — help
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitch — completely
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a great time
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  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