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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a cup
  6. root — of a word
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stock — shares
  23. root — the cause
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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