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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — ground
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — to crush
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cue — a hint
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. hand — help
  23. cue — for pool
  24. straw — dry grass

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