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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stock · net · pitcher · bear · wound · plane · charge · game

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. charge — a price
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. net — in sport
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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