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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — a partner
  12. march — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cue — for pool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — shares
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. march — the month

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