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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a music group
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — goods
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — to visit
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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