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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a song
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — to keep track
  14. file — a tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. object — an aim
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. object — to protest
  19. file — a document
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitch — completely
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a handicraft

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