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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. capital — a city
  9. pass — a permit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bass — the fish
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pass — to succeed
  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