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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — to wash
  5. club — for golf
  6. degree — temperature
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — a song
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — a group
  19. track — a path
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitch — completely

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