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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. suit — in cards
  10. key — in music
  11. capital — a city
  12. suit — to fit
  13. capital — money
  14. field — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — steady
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — farmland
  24. capital — a big letter

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