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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
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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: shower · stock · bear · march · race · mug · net · kick

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. net — after costs
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stock — goods
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — a face
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — the animal

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