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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stock — goods
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. shower — rain
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — in sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — a safe
  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