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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. bank — of a river
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. firm — a company
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — shares
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bank — for money
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bank — for money
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — a match
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — goods

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