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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a song
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. track — a path
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stock — shares
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — for betting
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chip — to eat
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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