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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a song
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. track — a path
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. last — final

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