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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. game — a match
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stock — goods
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fine — all right
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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