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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 124 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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kick — in football
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — of the year
  5. bank — of a river
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — in sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. swing — to play on
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — goods
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stock — shares
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kick — with a leg

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