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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — to protest
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — of your body
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — an aim
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — a box
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stock — shares
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. object — a thing
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fan — to cool the air

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