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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — in football
  6. root — of a word
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to confront
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stock — goods
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. current — of water
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — shares
  23. root — the cause
  24. foot — the bottom

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