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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. track — a path
  3. hand — in cards
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. track — a song
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — to keep track
  24. racket — a loud noise

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