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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — shares
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — belonging to me

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