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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cap — a lid
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. swing — music
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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