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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — shares
  12. craft — a skill
  13. march — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. craft — boats
  24. squash — to crush

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