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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — goods
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stock — shares
  16. can — a tin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. drill — army training

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