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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 124 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. last — final
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. present — there
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — a list
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. land — a country
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. land — ground
  17. present — the time now
  18. last — finally
  19. present — a gift
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — to go on
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stock — shares

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