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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — shares
  3. ground — the earth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ground — a position
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

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