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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — goods
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stock — shares
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — a position

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