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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fine — all right
  6. stock — goods
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ball — a great time
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — a position
  12. fine — high quality
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — shares
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — for money
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ball — a round shape

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