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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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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 · charge · bank · jam · stock · pitcher · kick · straw

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. charge — in control
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. stock — shares
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stock — goods
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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