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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tube — a container
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — the underground
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. present — there
  22. mug — a face
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mug — a cup

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