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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pit — in a race
  24. plane — an aircraft

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