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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bound — tied together
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rush — to hurry

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