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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. net — in sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — a group
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. charge — electricity
  11. net — for catching
  12. bound — obliged
  13. charge — a price
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. stock — goods
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — for dancing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — shares
  22. pit — in a race
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. net — after costs

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