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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — for sport
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mug — a face
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — a price
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — goods
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — the season
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — the amount
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — on the calendar

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