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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stock — goods
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bank — for money

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