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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 · net · mate · ruler · lash · stock · cold · fan

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a partner
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — magic
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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