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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — a hole
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — to sink
  24. straw — a straw man

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