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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spring — the season
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — shares
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cold — an illness
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — all right
  24. lash — to lash out

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