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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 116 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — a country
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — in sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. land — ground
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. deal — to handle
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — after costs
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fine — all right
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fine — high quality
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bass — low music
  24. vault — a safe

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