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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — a country
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stock — goods
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. degree — temperature

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