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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — the tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — army training
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — to go on
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stock — shares
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. squash — to crush

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