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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — to crush
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. root — the cause
  10. suit — to fit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. suit — in cards
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. root — of a word
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the body

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