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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bass — the fish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — goods
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stock — shares
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bass — low music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bay — a horse colour

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