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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — the earth
  6. court — for sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — of a king
  11. bank — for money
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. stock — shares
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — goods
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stock — a soup base

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