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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — to push
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. file — a document
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fine — all right
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — shares
  24. fine — high quality

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