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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. season — in sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stock — shares
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stock — goods
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. arm — part of the body

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