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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — shares
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. file — a document
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spell — magic
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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