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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. net — in sport
  7. pit — in a race
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — goods
  24. deal — an agreement

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