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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. last — final
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — finally
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stock — goods
  16. deal — to handle
  17. shower — to wash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — rain
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bound — certain
  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