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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stock — goods
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bound — certain
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bound — obliged
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — an eyelash

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