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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 120 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: drill · foot · stock · ground · temple · firm · pop · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — steady
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. drill — the tool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stock — shares
  12. firm — a company
  13. ground — a position
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ground — crushed
  16. drill — a practice
  17. net — in sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — army training
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pop — soda
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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