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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — help
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitch — completely
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stock — a soup base

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