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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. face — to confront
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. face — part of the head
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — a soup base

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