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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stock — shares
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — a stone
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. last — final
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — after costs
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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