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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. sharp — clever
  17. press — a publisher
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stock — goods
  24. cap — a lid

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