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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — child
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — of water
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a partner
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mate — a friend
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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