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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. kid — child
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. swing — in golf
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. can — a tin
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stock — goods
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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