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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stock — shares
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a ring
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a music group
  16. ground — a position
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — goods
  24. bore — to tire

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