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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stock — goods
  8. squash — to crush
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bass — low music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. nail — on a finger

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