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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rash — a series
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. fine — all right
  13. season — of the year
  14. craft — boats
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stock — goods
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. season — to add flavour

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