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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stock — shares
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — in football
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. craft — boats
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. craft — a skill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stock — goods

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