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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. clip — a video
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — to cut
  12. firm — steady
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a friend
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stock — shares
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — an eyelash

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