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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — goods
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cell — a phone
  5. scale — in music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — a gift
  10. court — for sport
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — of law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mark — a grade
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — shares
  23. present — there
  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