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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — a subject
  3. bore — to drill
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. field — for sport
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — goods
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — shares
  16. charge — in control
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. charge — a price
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — gave birth

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