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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 · jam · squash · kid · stock · fan · hand · key

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — to crush
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stock — shares
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — child
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. key — in music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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