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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stock — shares
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. tube — a container
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tube — the underground
  23. deal — to handle
  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