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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. squash — to crush
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — farmland
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — a subject
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lie — an untruth

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