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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — goods
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — rain
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. stock — shares
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — high quality
  19. squash — to crush
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — boats
  22. squash — the sport
  23. track — a song
  24. craft — a handicraft

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