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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 120 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 do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stock — shares
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — the season
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pop — soda
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — of water

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