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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — a break
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. court — of law
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. court — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  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