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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — goods
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — in music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. race — humankind
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. race — a contest
  22. season — of the year
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wind — moving air

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