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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. branch — a division
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. face — to point toward
  7. net — after costs
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wound — an injury
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a great time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — goods
  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