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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — shares
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. roll — a list
  15. perch — the fish
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rush — hurry

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