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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to tire
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. snap — to click
  15. fall — the season
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — to sink

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