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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — of law
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — for sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — to crush
  23. season — of the year
  24. stock — a soup base

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