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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · present · mouse · sharp · stock · prune · land · pass

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. present — a gift
  5. land — ground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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