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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. net — after costs
  4. last — final
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stock — shares
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — a safe
  21. content — happy
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — wild animals

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