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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. present — the time now
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. present — there
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — finally
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. present — a gift
  16. roll — a list
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. last — final
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. track — a song
  23. last — to go on
  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