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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitcher — a jug

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