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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a line
  4. can — to be able to
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — final
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. can — a tin
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. last — finally
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — the fruit

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