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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cell — a phone
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rock — a stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — goods

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