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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — an illness
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — goods
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bore — to tire
  9. file — a tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — shares
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. file — a line of people
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cold — not warm

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