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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stock — goods
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pop — music
  21. stock — shares
  22. kick — in football
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ground — a position

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