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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. object — an aim
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — a city
  10. object — a thing
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. object — to protest
  15. rash — hasty
  16. capital — money
  17. land — to come down
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fan — a supporter

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