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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stock — shares
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. saw — the tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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