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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. row — a line
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. prune — to trim

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