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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — the season
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — of water
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. net — after costs
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pit — in a race
  22. net — in sport
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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