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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. squash — to crush
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — a break
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rest — what's left

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