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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a song
  15. bound — certain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — goods
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mate — a friend
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — to breed
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — help

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