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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bound — obliged
  3. key — in music
  4. last — finally
  5. hand — help
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — in cards
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — certain
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a ring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. bound — tied together
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. stock — shares
  21. net — in sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. key — the most important part

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