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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — finally
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stock — shares
  13. deal — to handle
  14. last — final
  15. content — happy
  16. face — part of the head
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. craft — boats
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — to go on
  24. wound — an injury

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