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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stock — shares
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — goods
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — after costs
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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