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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. scale — in music
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — for catching
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stock — shares

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