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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: pit · chair · scale · stock · net · lie · dip · ground

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ground — a position
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — after costs
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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