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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — child
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stock — shares
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. scale — size or range
  12. suit — clothes
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. content — happy
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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