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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — shares
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — government
  14. stock — goods
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rule — a law
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. leaves — of a tree

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