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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. key — the most important part
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. key — for a lock
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. key — in music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. staff — employees
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — a coil
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. leaves — of a tree

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