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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hand — help
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — goods
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stock — shares
  20. can — to be able to
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a tool

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