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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitch — completely
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. last — final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stock — goods

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