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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stock — shares
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — the instrument

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