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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. field — farmland
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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