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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. roll — a list
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stock — goods
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rash — a series
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cap — a lid
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fan — a supporter

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