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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a line
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. last — final
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — electricity
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. last — to go on
  17. charge — a price
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stock — shares
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — of the year
  24. stock — a soup base

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