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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — a series
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — shares
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bear — the animal

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