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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stock — shares
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. stock — goods
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pitcher — a jug

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