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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: net · bass · ball · stock · patient · firm · toast · shower

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — the fish
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. shower — rain
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — shares
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a dance
  13. toast — bread
  14. bass — low music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — goods
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. firm — steady
  24. bass — the instrument

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