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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — shares
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pop — to visit
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. spell — magic
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. kid — child
  15. pop — soda
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mouse — the animal

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