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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — goods
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitch — completely
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bore — to drill
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — for dogs

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