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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — goods
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — shares
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — to paddle

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