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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stock — shares
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — for paper

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