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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 120 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: squash · capital · pit · lash · club · stock · bore · press

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. press — to push
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. club — for dancing
  6. capital — a city
  7. pit — in a race
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. club — a group
  14. stock — shares
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — a hole

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