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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — there
  3. firm — steady
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. last — to go on
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. present — a gift
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — for golf
  16. firm — decided
  17. club — a group
  18. season — of the year
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — final
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — after costs

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