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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stock — shares
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lie — an untruth

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