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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rule — government
  5. net — in sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — shares
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rule — a law
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pound — for dogs

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