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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mark — a grade
  5. last — final
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. last — finally
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — the amount
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a line
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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