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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. shower — rain
  5. cap — a lid
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. can — a tin
  18. cue — a hint
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of law
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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