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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spell — a short time
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — shares
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — to handle
  21. scale — size or range
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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