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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. suit — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — to fit
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stock — shares
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hand — help
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. suit — clothes
  17. season — of the year
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. hand — in cards
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — in sport
  24. lean — thin

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