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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. net — after costs
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. foot — a measure
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. toast — bread
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — for catching
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stock — shares
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. can — a tin

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