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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. capital — a city
  8. stock — goods
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — money
  12. ground — crushed
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. capital — a big letter

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