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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — goods
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stock — shares
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. season — of the year
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — a law
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rule — government
  23. pitch — completely
  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