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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — shares
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — after costs
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — a grade
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. rock — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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