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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 124 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a great time
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — a soup base

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