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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cold — not warm
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — goods
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — shares
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a great time
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cold — an illness

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