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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — goods
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. craft — boats
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. present — there
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — a gift
  24. ground — crushed

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