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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — to eat
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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