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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — completely
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — low music
  24. bowl — a football final

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