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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spring — the season
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stock — goods
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spring — of water
  8. charge — a price
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. charge — in control
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — a series
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. rash — hasty
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — on the skin

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