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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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 — after costs
  2. stock — shares
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a line
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. club — for golf
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a hole
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. club — for dancing
  21. net — for catching
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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