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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — all right
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — a box
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — with your hand

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