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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — goods
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. face — part of the head

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