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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: lie · bay · ground · last · net · land · stock · bowl

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — ground
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. land — a country
  17. net — for catching
  18. land — to come down
  19. ground — the earth
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ground — a position

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