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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. suit — to fit
  6. snap — to click
  7. squash — the sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cell — a phone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. swing — in golf
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — in biology
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — shares
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. swing — to play on

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