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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — finally
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — final
  24. squash — the vegetable

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