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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. content — the amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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