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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hand — in cards
  7. land — ground
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hand — help
  16. land — a country
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fall — the season
  24. snap — to click

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