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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. court — of law
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — in music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — obliged
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. court — of a king
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. fan — a supporter

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