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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — a series
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. firm — steady
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. firm — a company
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — shares
  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