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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — help
  4. firm — steady
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — in sport
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — shares
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. firm — a company
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. firm — decided
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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