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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for golf
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stock — shares
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. club — a group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — child
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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