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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — goods
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — final
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rock — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — finally
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stock — shares
  21. rock — a stone
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. root — of a word

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