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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 120 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — the cause
  15. rule — government
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rule — a law
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. net — for catching
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stock — goods
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — after costs
  24. coach — a trainer

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