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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — a box
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to click
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stock — goods
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. current — electric
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stock — shares
  24. fork — to eat with

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