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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — in a road
  10. present — a gift
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. present — there
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stock — goods

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