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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cold — not warm
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spell — magic
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. root — of a word
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — letters
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stock — shares
  24. root — the cause

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