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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — for digging
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — goods
  9. drill — army training
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. stock — shares
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. safe — a strongbox

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