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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · fan · net · coach · pit · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pit — a hole
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — in a race

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