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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pass — a permit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — shares
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — in sport
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to spend time

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