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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. net — after costs
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. squash — the sport
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. staff — a stick
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. squash — to crush
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. squash — the vegetable

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