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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. net — after costs
  3. stock — shares
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stock — goods
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. charge — a price
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — for catching
  21. perch — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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