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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — in football
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. stock — shares
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — the animal

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