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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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. spring — of water
  4. key — in music
  5. stock — goods
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stock — shares
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — a hat
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cap — of ice

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