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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — shares
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — government
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rule — a law
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — in cards

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