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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — electric
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — in a race
  13. current — of water
  14. rule — a law
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — goods
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — government
  24. current — happening now

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