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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.

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 · court · wave · squash · mouse · date · race · bulb

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — a contest
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — shares
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. race — humankind

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