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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stock — shares
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cue — for pool
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cue — a hint
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — letters
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ball — a great time
  24. press — to push

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