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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — an amount
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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