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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 was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stock — goods
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — a video
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — for catching
  15. stock — shares
  16. cell — a phone
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. key — for a lock

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