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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — shares
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — a country
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stock — goods
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — ground
  19. net — for catching
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a match
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. season — in sport
  24. mate — a friend

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