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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stock — shares
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. perch — the fish

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