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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. present — the time now
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — shares
  11. suit — clothes
  12. present — a gift
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stock — goods
  17. can — a tin
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. can — to be able to
  22. present — there
  23. cold — an illness
  24. net — for catching

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