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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — to visit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pop — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chest — a box
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. net — after costs
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. sharp — clever

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