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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fine — all right
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. fine — high quality
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — for dogs

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