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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — shares
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — rain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitch — completely
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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