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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stock — goods
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stock — shares
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a line
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. staff — employees
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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