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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cue — a hint
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stock — goods
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spell — magic
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. track — a song
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — a short time

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