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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a signal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — farmland
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stock — shares

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