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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · shower · squash · sharp · stock · cap · toast · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cap — of ice
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cap — a hat
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. shower — to wash
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cap — a lid
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — rain
  19. cue — a hint
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cue — for pool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stock — goods

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