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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wake — before a funeral

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