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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — thin
  5. charge — in control
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stock — shares
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — a subject
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rock — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cap — of ice

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