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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fine — all right
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bank — for money
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. net — in sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a city

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