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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — of the year
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stock — goods
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mate — to breed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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