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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — shares
  5. cap — a lid
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cap — of ice
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — to rob

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