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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
468
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: spell · object · chest · net · pitcher · stock · mate · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — magic
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — letters
  7. chest — a box
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — 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