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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lie — to recline
  10. perch — the fish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — shares
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — for catching

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