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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stock — goods
  12. fine — all right
  13. shower — rain
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — happy
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — videos and posts

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