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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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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hand — help
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — shares
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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