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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: bear · squash · rush · cell · mug · club · game · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mug — to rob
  6. club — for dancing
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — a match
  13. mug — a face
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cell — a phone
  19. club — a group
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. club — for golf
  24. bear — to put up with

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