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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stock — goods
  13. clip — a video
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stock — shares
  18. deal — an agreement

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