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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stock — a soup base

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