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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 116 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: chair · fan · kick · net · stock · safe · rash · craft

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — boats
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. kick — a thrill

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