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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — soda
  6. stock — shares
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — the season
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pop — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. staff — a stick
  16. object — an aim
  17. cold — an illness
  18. object — a thing
  19. pop — to visit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — not warm

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