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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. shower — to wash
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — to handle
  15. present — a gift
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — rain
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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