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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. root — of a word
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to bend
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — thin
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. net — in sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stock — a soup base

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