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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: pit · kick · lean · bay · sharp · shower · stock · squash

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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