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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mate — to breed
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — for pool
  9. net — for catching
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — goods
  19. cell — in biology
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cell — a phone
  24. prune — to trim

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