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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — a face
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — wild animals

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