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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: sharp · field · ground · net · date · stock · hand · suit

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ground — a position
  5. hand — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. hand — help
  11. stock — goods
  12. sharp — clever
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — a subject
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. suit — clothes
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — crushed
  24. field — for sport

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