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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chest — a box
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stock — shares
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — of your body

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