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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stock — goods
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mate — a friend
  8. net — for catching
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bat — the animal

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