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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. firm — decided
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. firm — a company
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — to come down
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. shower — rain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — a garden tool

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