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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — the season
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — in control
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stock — shares
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. arm — a part of something

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