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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — to go on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mark — a trace
  14. band — a music group
  15. charge — a price
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. last — finally
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. last — final
  22. mark — a grade
  23. charge — in control
  24. rest — what's left

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