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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. bulb — for light
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. charge — in control
  11. bulb — for light
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — a price
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. charge — electricity
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — for baseball

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