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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. stock — shares
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mine — for digging
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — high quality
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. can — to be able to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — a song
  24. can — a tin

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