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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — goods
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. present — the time now
  16. rest — a break
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitch — completely

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