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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitch — completely
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cold — not warm
  12. club — a group
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — the Cold War

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