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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pit — in a race
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — in music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — after costs
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rash — hasty

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