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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lean — thin
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. court — of a king
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — help
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. key — in music
  14. court — of law
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. court — for sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — a phone

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