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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a document
  4. rest — what's left
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. file — a tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. current — happening now
  10. stock — shares
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — what's left
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — of water

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