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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — shares
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. land — to come down
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — soda
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. pop — music
  19. land — ground
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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