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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. game — a match
  14. stock — goods
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. squash — to crush
  21. land — ground
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stock — shares

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