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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's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. object — a thing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — an aim
  8. ground — a position
  9. season — in sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — to protest
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — after costs
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — shares

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