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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fine — high quality
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — goods
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. content — the amount
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — money
  22. plane — a tool
  23. content — happy
  24. net — after costs

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