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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — shares
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. charge — in control
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — a price
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lash — to lash out

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