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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. root — of a plant
  7. charge — electricity
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — goods
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. spell — a short time
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. charge — a price
  17. root — of a word
  18. last — final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. charge — in control
  23. last — finally
  24. net — after costs

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