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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. charge — a price
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — goods
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — shares
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. bass — low music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — electricity
  20. club — a group
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — for golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lash — to lash out

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