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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: cap · hide · jam · straw · last · fine · stock · squash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. last — final
  5. stock — shares
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the sport
  8. last — to go on
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cap — a hat

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