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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a great time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — to handle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stock — goods
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — shares
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rest — a break
  22. ball — a dance
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. row — a quarrel

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