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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stock — goods
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stock — shares
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — to be able to
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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