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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cue — a hint
  3. root — of a word
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cue — a signal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — all right
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — to play on
  13. root — the cause
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cue — for pool
  17. swing — music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — certain
  22. swing — in golf
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stock — goods

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