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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: net · field · bass · degree · craft · stock · pop · firm

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. firm — decided
  5. degree — an amount
  6. craft — boats
  7. net — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — farmland
  11. pop — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. degree — temperature
  14. firm — steady
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pop — to visit
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — low music
  21. firm — a company
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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