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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. shower — rain
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. rest — a break

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