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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. track — a song
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — to keep track
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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