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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. present — the time now
  14. track — to keep track
  15. file — a document
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — a gift
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. file — a line of people
  23. present — there
  24. scale — for weighing

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