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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for dancing
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — of a king
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a list
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — a group
  19. net — in sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. net — for catching

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