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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — humankind
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fine — all right
  10. stock — goods
  11. game — a match
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. race — a contest
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fine — high quality
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stock — shares
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pound — a weight

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