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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stock — goods
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — soda
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stock — shares

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