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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — for golf
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stock — shares
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fine — all right
  15. scale — in music
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fine — high quality

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