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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spring — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spring — of water
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stock — shares

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