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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — after costs
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. swing — music
  14. net — in sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  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