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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mug — to rob
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — a face
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rock — music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. drill — army training
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — the amount
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stock — goods

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