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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — for catching
  4. bank — for money
  5. firm — steady
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. mate — a partner
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — shares
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mate — to breed

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