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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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for dancing
  5. current — electric
  6. tear — to rip
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — goods
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — completely
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — of water
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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