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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — a country
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — to bear
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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