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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a city
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rush — hurry
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spring — a coil
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. squash — the sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. spring — the season
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. squash — to crush

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