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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: net · stock · club · rash · foot · drill · bore · lie

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — for catching
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. club — a group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. club — for golf
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — shares
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — goods
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bore — to tire

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