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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — government
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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