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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — goods
  4. can — to be able to
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fall — the season
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. craft — boats
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. can — a tin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. can — a tin

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