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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stock — goods
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stock — shares
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — child
  13. suit — in cards
  14. land — ground
  15. suit — clothes
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. field — a subject
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. suit — to fit
  21. field — for sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — farmland

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