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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a path
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hand — help
  13. stock — goods
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — to lash out

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