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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — a committee
  3. root — the cause
  4. stock — shares
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — goods
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. charge — in control
  15. board — to get on
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — a price
  19. wind — moving air
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. root — of a plant
  22. band — a ring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — electricity

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