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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: fine · ground · net · ruler · stock · march · deal · shower

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — to wash
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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