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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. march — the month
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ball — a dance
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — a series
  17. firm — decided
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. net — in sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — music
  23. firm — steady
  24. march — the month

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