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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. court — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stock — shares
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. court — of law
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. object — an aim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. file — a document
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. kid — to tease
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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