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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · deal · cold · present · pop · rest · mine · squash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — soda
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stock — goods
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — shares
  23. rest — a break
  24. present — there

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