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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stock — shares
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stock — goods
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — for sport
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rock — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — a subject
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rock — a stone
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — rain
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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