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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stock — goods
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — a stick
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stock — shares
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. kid — to tease
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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