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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a document
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — magic
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spell — a short time
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — ground
  13. cue — for pool
  14. land — a country
  15. squash — the sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — goods
  19. spell — letters
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. file — a tool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stock — a soup base

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