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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — shares
  6. wind — moving air
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. can — a tin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. land — to come down
  18. can — to be able to
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — ground
  23. calf — a young animal
  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