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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. suit — to fit
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. suit — clothes
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — money
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. squash — the sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. present — a gift
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stock — shares
  24. bass — the instrument

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