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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — after costs
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — for catching
  11. object — to protest
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — to drop
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — a thing
  23. can — a tin
  24. safe — out of danger

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