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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — goods
  24. spring — the season

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