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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — shares
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — a hole
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rock — music
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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