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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stock — shares
  10. file — a line of people
  11. court — of law
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — thin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — for digging

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