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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — to breed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — to rip

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