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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — a cake
  4. season — of the year
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — goods
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. present — the time now
  10. stock — shares
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. roll — a list
  14. pound — a weight
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — from a university
  23. season — in sport
  24. present — a gift

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