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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — final
  10. kick — in football
  11. branch — a division
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — after costs
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. charge — electricity
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — goods
  24. charge — a price

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