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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — for digging
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stock — shares
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — to breed
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bass — low music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — goods
  24. mine — belonging to me

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