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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. present — the time now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — a permit
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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