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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — a container
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. drill — a practice
  21. craft — boats
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — to crush

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