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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — goods
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — shares
  10. cue — for pool
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cue — a signal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stem — to come from
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant

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