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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cap — of ice
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. land — to come down
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — ground
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — shares
  19. land — a country
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rule — government
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rule — a law
  24. craft — boats

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