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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — shares
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  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