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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mug — a face
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — goods
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. swing — in golf
  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