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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. game — a match
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — shares
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. toast — bread
  15. stock — goods
  16. mate — to breed
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — a friend

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