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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stock — goods
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — a law
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. drill — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rule — government
  14. kid — to tease
  15. drill — army training
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kid — child
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stock — shares

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