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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — to sink
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kid — child
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — all right
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — in sport
  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