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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — magic
  3. stock — shares
  4. swing — in golf
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — for catching
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — letters
  14. swing — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. roll — a list
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. swing — to play on
  22. roll — a cake
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — a soup base

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