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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a line of people
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — after costs
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. drill — army training
  13. lean — to bend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. lean — thin
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — for catching
  19. drill — a practice
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. file — a document

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