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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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 — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — a publisher
  11. object — an aim
  12. snap — to click
  13. key — in music
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — a country
  16. key — for a lock
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. object — to protest
  21. press — to push
  22. net — after costs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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