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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. face — to confront
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — employees

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