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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stock — shares
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. suit — to fit
  21. track — a path
  22. ground — the earth
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stock — a soup base

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