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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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