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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — to fit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. row — a line
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. tear — to rip
  9. board — a committee
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. suit — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — to get on
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stock — shares
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pit — a hole

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