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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lie — to recline
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — help

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