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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a document
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — after costs
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — a group
  12. craft — boats
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — goods
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. branch — a division
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — shares
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. file — a line of people
  24. club — for dancing

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