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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — certain
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mug — to rob
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — goods
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — army training
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mate — to breed

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