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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.

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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — all right
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — for catching
  22. capital — a city
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stock — goods

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