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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — rain
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. net — for catching
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — a thrill

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