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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. hand — help
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — a country
  9. net — after costs
  10. fine — all right
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. key — the most important part

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