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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — a line
  21. foot — a measure
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bat — the animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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