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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — army training
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — shares
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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