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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. track — to keep track
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stock — goods
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — for catching
  16. deal — to handle
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rush — to hurry

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