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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. mug — a cup
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — to rob
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. tear — to rip

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