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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — hasty
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stock — shares
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — goods
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fall — the season
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pit — a hole

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