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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. can — to be able to
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — of water
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — in a race
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — help
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stock — shares
  23. can — a tin
  24. squash — the sport

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