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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. last — finally
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. can — a tin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — shares
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. last — to go on
  24. row — a line

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