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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. season — of the year
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stand — to bear
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — help
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. net — after costs
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — shares
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — in cards

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