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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stock — shares
  5. rest — a break
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stock — goods
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. key — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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