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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — clever
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — for catching
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. can — to be able to
  22. firm — steady
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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