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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a friend
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. roll — a list
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mug — a cup
  17. staff — employees
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tear — from crying
  22. roll — a cake
  23. stock — shares
  24. tear — to rip

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