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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spring — of water
  3. kid — child
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bound — certain
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — in sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. suit — to fit
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — goods
  21. snap — to click
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pass — a permit
  24. spring — the season

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