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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — goods
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. present — there
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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