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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — to get on
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — goods
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. board — a committee
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — farmland

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