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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 116 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hand — help
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rash — a series
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — a professorship

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