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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — decided
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a city
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — shares
  21. firm — a company
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — an injury

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