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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. object — to protest
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — to go on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. object — an aim
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — final
  23. object — a thing
  24. bat — the animal

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