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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stock — shares
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. present — the time now
  7. stock — goods
  8. present — there
  9. chest — of your body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — a box
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tube — a container
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. present — a gift
  20. scale — in music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. coach — a trainer

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