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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rash — hasty
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — a series
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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