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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — a permit
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — boats
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — shares
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a skill
  19. staff — a stick
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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