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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — size or range
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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