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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. last — finally
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stock — goods
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bound — certain
  14. file — a document
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rest — a break
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — shares
  24. rest — what's left

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