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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · lash · deal · stock · fan · content · press · march

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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. game — a match
  4. stock — shares
  5. content — happy
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. press — a publisher
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. content — the amount
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. game — wild animals
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — a supporter

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