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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 124 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stock — goods
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a match
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ball — a great time
  17. net — for catching
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a dance
  21. board — a committee
  22. net — in sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. safe — a strongbox

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