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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — shares
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chip — to eat
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — goods
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — in music
  18. chip — in a computer

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