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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — goods
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stock — shares
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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