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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — letters
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. squash — the sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — the fruit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stock — goods
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. can — a tin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. bowl — a dish

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