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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — for catching
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — goods
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rest — a break
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — shares
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rest — what's left

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