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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — for catching
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stock — goods
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — happening now
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. can — a tin
  16. stock — shares
  17. hand — help
  18. current — of water
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — electric
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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