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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. season — in sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — finally
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — final
  17. stock — shares
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. last — to go on
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fine — high quality
  24. temple — a place of worship

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