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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — a practice
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. drill — army training
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stock — shares
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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