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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — to crush
  9. suit — to fit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — shares
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. craft — boats
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stock — goods

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