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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — after costs
  9. pass — a permit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — for catching
  24. shower — rain

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