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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chest — a box
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — help
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stock — goods
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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