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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — to bear
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — goods

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