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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — all right
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. net — in sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — a series
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stock — shares
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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