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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — finally
  7. game — a match
  8. cue — for pool
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cue — a hint
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. net — in sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a partner

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