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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. stock — goods
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stock — shares
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. march — the month
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pass — to spend time

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