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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — a path
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — a song
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. track — to keep track

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