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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — boats
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stock — shares

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