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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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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: spring · racket · snap · pitch · cabinet · fan · stock · squash

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitch — completely
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stock — goods
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — ministers

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