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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. craft — a skill
  6. current — electric
  7. pop — soda
  8. stock — shares
  9. rock — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — the sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. file — a document
  16. lean — thin
  17. pop — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. stock — a soup base

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