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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pop — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — soda
  24. spell — magic

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