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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. shower — rain
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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