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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a match
  12. row — a line
  13. rock — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — for tennis

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