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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. date — the fruit
  18. field — farmland
  19. stock — shares
  20. cue — a hint
  21. field — a subject
  22. toast — bread
  23. hand — in cards
  24. calf — a young animal

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