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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — shares
  11. row — a line
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fine — high quality
  20. staff — employees
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stock — goods

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