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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — all right
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — for pool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spell — a short time
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — the time now
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — a hint
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — a gift

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