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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitch — completely
  5. suit — in cards
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. suit — clothes
  16. current — electric
  17. suit — to fit
  18. current — of water
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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