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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. root — the cause
  11. track — a path
  12. rush — hurry
  13. can — to be able to
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a song
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. kid — child
  21. track — to keep track
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. kid — to tease

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