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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — a friend
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pop — soda
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fine — high quality
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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