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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. land — to come down
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — of ice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — goods
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — a lid
  21. land — ground
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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