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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — goods
  24. hand — help

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