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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
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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: shower · game · foot · bank · suit · stock · net · pitcher

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — of a river
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — for money
  9. suit — clothes
  10. game — a match
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. bank — for money
  21. suit — to fit
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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