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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — final
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — an amount
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to drill
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — shares

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