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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stock — goods
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — all right
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lean — thin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fall — the season

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