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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — a short time
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — rain
  19. toast — bread
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. dip — to sink
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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