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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — a break
  9. club — for dancing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — music
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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