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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — shares
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — a position
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spring — of water

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