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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stock — shares
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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