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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 116 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stock — shares
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ball — a dance
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — a group
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — for golf

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