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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — to shout
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — for digging
  19. charge — electricity
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. toast — bread
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stock — shares
  24. sharp — with an edge

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