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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. shower — rain
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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