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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — goods
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — an amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. suit — clothes
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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