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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. board — to get on
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — a committee
  20. spell — magic
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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