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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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. swing — to play on
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. swing — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kid — to tease
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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