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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: kick · trunk · roll · season · net · ground · stock · deal

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — after costs
  5. kick — in football
  6. stock — shares
  7. roll — a cake
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. roll — a list
  12. ground — the earth
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — to handle
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. ground — crushed

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