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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: race · net · fan · stock · saw · key · swing · bark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. key — in music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. race — a contest
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — to play on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — humankind
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. net — for catching

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