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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — shares
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — for catching
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. land — ground
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — a country
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wake — before a funeral

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