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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — in music
  5. clip — to cut
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stock — shares
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mug — a face
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mug — to rob
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — for a lock
  23. clip — a video
  24. calf — a young animal

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