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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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Word bank
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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. key — in music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stock — goods
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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