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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. kid — child
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stock — goods
  13. staff — a stick
  14. face — part of the head
  15. firm — decided
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — a company
  22. kid — to tease
  23. firm — steady
  24. face — to confront

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