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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: bat · suit · rash · season · march · stock · arm · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — goods
  5. rash — hasty
  6. suit — to fit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — for catching
  9. march — music
  10. stock — shares
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. bat — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — in sport
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. season — of the year
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — for baseball

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