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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mate — a partner
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stock — shares
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stock — goods
  17. land — a country
  18. track — a song

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