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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stock — goods
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stock — shares
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. trunk — of a tree

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