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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — to protest
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — to shout
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. spell — letters
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. board — a committee
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. toast — bread
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — to get on
  20. season — of the year
  21. spell — a short time
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. board — a flat piece

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