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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. squash — the sport
  8. march — the month
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to click
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stock — goods
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. march — the month

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