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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a dance
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a great time
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — goods
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — to come down

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