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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. charge — a price
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — goods
  11. firm — decided
  12. charge — in control
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. charge — electricity
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lash — to lash out

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