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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — a line
  3. ball — a great time
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fine — all right
  8. stock — shares
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. object — an aim
  15. ball — a dance
  16. sharp — clever
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — a thing
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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