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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — shares
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — a line
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — a supporter

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