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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. file — a document
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — goods
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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