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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — to wash
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stock — goods
  24. ball — a round shape

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