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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ground — a position
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — shares
  11. net — for catching
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. net — in sport
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stock — goods
  23. club — for dancing
  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