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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — a country
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — ground
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. shower — rain
  24. fork — in a road

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