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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kick — in football
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bound — obliged
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bound — certain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — for measuring

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