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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: stock · rock · rest · bowl · net · kick · spring · pit

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — after costs
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spring — a coil
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. kick — in football
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stock — goods
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — for catching
  24. pit — a hole

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