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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stock — shares
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stand — to bear
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — in a road
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — for spectators

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