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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mug — to rob
  4. lean — thin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. face — to point toward
  8. swing — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — a short time
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — to confront
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — a cup
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — shares
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spell — letters
  24. swing — in golf

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